Shattered Glass
by Lisette Black
Summary: Harry's dealing with Dumbledore's death and trying desperately to keep Ginny safe the only way he knows how, not being with her. Despite Harry's efforts, is Voldemort plotting something? Post HBP. HPGW. Spoilers. No slash.
1. Unconvinced

A/N: My first Harry/Ginny fic so go easy! R&R!

Ginny Weasley raced down the stairs. Harry was arriving today, and he would be staying until term started—a whole two months! She knew she had just seen him a month ago but she missed him already. She knew he was sad to see Dumbledore go, but she didn't know how sad until she saw his face.

When she got down to the bottom step she stopped and stared at him. He had changed so much in a month. He had gotten thinner, and he seemed older—much older. He looked as though he had been through hell—and he had.

He continued to blame Dumbledore's death on himself. He had eaten very little, only eating half of the small amount of food the Dursleys spared for him.

She had hoped she could just run into his arms and kiss him. She had hoped all those things he had said on Dumbledore's funeral would be taken back, and they could be together again. Ginny realized that that wasn't going to happen. He didn't smile when he saw her, if anything he looked sadder. He didn't acknowledge her presence in any romantic way. He just gave her the most hollow, sad, forlorn look she had ever seen as he said, "hello, Ginny."

His tone scared her and she answered, dazed by him and his sadness, "hello, Harry. How are you doing?"

"As well as expected," he said.

"You don't sound that well to me," she said.

Harry sighed. This was going to harder than he had originally anticipated. Her tone suggested that he had shocked her. What had she expected, though, with Dumbledore's death so fresh? Certainly she hadn't expected him to rush into her arms and say how wrong he was? One look at her told him all he needed to know—she had.

Ginny was in a rather uncomfortable situation. Harry and her were the only people left at the dinner table, kept there by Mrs. Weasley because they wouldn't touch their food. They wouldn't touch their food for the exact same reason: each other.

"Harry…?" Ginny said tentatively.

"Yes Ginny?" Harry asked, a note of sadness in his voice.

"Why did we have to break up?" she asked, her eyes full of hope as she gazed into his. It was then that she realized his were not full of hope. His eyes were like shattered glass, hope not even being in the smallest pieces.

She knew she had said the wrong thing even before Harry sighed and said quietly, "it had to be done, Ginny. You… you would be hurt."

"I don't care," she said, her voice a desperate whisper, and she reached out and grabbed his hand as she declared, "nothing could cause me as much pain as seeing you every day, knowing that you love me and that I love you, too. Nothing could cause me as mush pain than looking into your eyes and seeing shattered glass—yes, Harry, I see it. I can help. I know you need me as much as I need you. And, oh, how I need you Harry, please…" her tone changed into fierce determination as she said, "you're being an idiot! Can't you just stop playing the hero and accept that I'm here and I'm not going away?"

He let go of her hand and said quietly yet determinedly, "you won't die, Ginny."

The conversation was over. She ate her food quickly and left because she couldn't stand to see it—she couldn't stand to see that the glass was shattered into even smaller pieces.

It couldn't be said which was stronger—her sadness or her rage. She was sad because she loved Harry, and he wouldn't open up to her. She was angry because he could be, and his need to be a hero added to devastation had gotten in the way of that.

He simply sat there and continued to eat his food. He thought he had done what was best, and didn't understand that Ginny's words were the truth… he was hurting her more than anything else could have, even death.

The next day Ron decided he had to talk to Harry. At first he thought that Harry should just deal with his problems in solitude, since that was his preferred way, but that simply wouldn't do any more. Harry's sadness had taken its toll on Ginny, and he had only been at the Burrow one day. Before lunch, Ron cornered Harry. "You need to cheer up," Ron said, not even uttering a hello first.

"Why?" asked Harry, his voice desolate.

"Why? Why, you ask? Because you are having your effect on Ginny. It's like your sadness has spread to her like—like some sort of terrible disease," said Ron.

"I wish it were a disease—then it would either have a cure or kill me. And anyway, Ginny is pissed off at me right now…"

This was worse than Ron had anticipated. "Harry—you're an idiot!" he said, Harry sighing, hearing that from one Weasley in 24 hours was enough, but Ron didn't stop there, "Harry! Snap out of it! You are driving Ginny into depression damn it! I won't allow it!" He seized Harry by the shoulders and shook him.

"You're right," said Harry, no longer sounding quite as lost, "I'll—I'll try to cheer up… for Ginny."

"Don't just do it for Ginny," Ron said, his voice quiet, "I don't want you to be depressed any more—you're my best mate, I don't want to lose you, all right?"

"All right, Ron," said a slightly less pale Harry, "I'll try."

Ginny went to lunch very sad. She no longer was angry with Harry—he was too sad, too pitiful to be angry with him long. She still had hope at breakfast—she knew Harry loved her, she just knew it! But he was so distant, so sad… she had tried to corner him after breakfast but he had locked himself in his room. So, going to lunch, she did not have much of an appetite.

"Harry… you're eating," Ginny said, staring at him as though he were a zombie from another planet.

"Well…" he said, "it's not going to do anyone any good for me to starve."

"Well, I… I suppose so," said Ginny, still surprised at his mood change.

Mr. Weasley came in unexpectedly (he was supposed to be at work) and said after some small talk, "Harry, you've inherited most of Dumbledore's things."

Harry looked up at him, stopped eating and sighed. That heavy sigh that could only mean one thing: all was not well beneath his tangled dark hair inside his complex brain.

Ginny gave her father a murderous look. "Oh…" said Mr. Weasley, not really knowing what else to say. He had just glanced at Harry's plate, and realized Harry had started eating again. And what did he do? He came in here and reminded the poor boy of Dumbledore. "I'll… I'll just go now, didn't mean to ruin your lunch… I'll won't be at dinner, I'm… er… working late."

"Good-bye, Dad," said Ginny, her tone a mixture of annoyance and sadness.

A/N: For those of you who read my other fic (My Name is Lisette Black) don't worry! I will not neglect that one! I 3 that one... and if you haven't read it, go read it! R&R!


	2. Temper

A/N: Anything in Italics is from the sixth Harry Potter book.

Voldemort was about to kill that good-for-nothing Draco Malfoy when he actually revealed something of use; Harry Potter was dating Ginny Weasley. Instead of killing Malfoy, Voldemort simply performed the Cruceatous Curse enough times to satisfy his anger; he would have killed him afterward, but there was no need to. He needed as many followers as he could get after the battle on broomsticks; most of his good Death Eaters had been lost. And besides, Dumbledore was dead and Draco _had_ given him valuable information. It might prove to be a good thing to have a student spy at Hogwarts… not that he would wait that long to capture the girl, because he also found out from Malfoy exactly where the Burrow was.

Draco Malfoy didn't know of the break up because Harry, in his depression, had told no one. Ginny, in her denial, had done the same. So in actuality, Harry had broken up with Ginny for no reason; because as far as her protection goes, it only matters what Voldemort thinks, and right now, Voldemort thinks that Ginny and Harry are dating.

Harry sat in the backyard of the Burrow, simply staring up at the deep blue sky.

He was remembering the moment Dumbledore was killed… killed pleading with Snape. Oh, Harry hated Snape more than he could ever have or ever imagined.

_Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face._

_"Severus… please…"_

_Snape raised his wand and pointed it directly at Dumbledore._

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

_A jet of green light shot from the end of Snape's wand and hit Dumbledore. _

Harry recalled how he couldn't even scream, and began to weep silently, not just for Dumbledore, but for Sirius, and his Mum and Dad… he weeped for everyone who had died trying to save him.

Ginny was also very sad at the moment, lost in her memories. But she was remembering something entirely different. She was remembering when Harry had broken up with her.

"I can't be involved with you anymore. We've got to stop seeing each other. We can't be together."

_She said, with an oddly twisted smile, "It's for some stupid, noble reason, isn't it?"_

Well, Ginny wasn't smiling now. She was crying. How could she have let him slip away… how could she ever forgive herself? She knew the answer; she couldn't.

She decided to take a walk around the backyard. It was always so pretty during the summertime, and always cheered her up. Once she got out there and looked at the flowers, she smiled through her tears. She looked around some more, and saw Harry. "Harry!" she called, and ran over to him. She threw her arms around him, "Harry, Harry, are you okay? You're crying so hard!"

He looked up. His eyes were puffy and red, his face was gaunt and haunted, and his cheeks were soaked with tears. It took him a minute to register her presence. "Ginny? What are you doing out here?"

"I live here, Harry," she said gently, "what are you doing out here."

"Thinking," he said. He saw the tear streaks on her face and asked, "Ginny, are you okay?"

"You're the one to talk," she said, "it looks to me like you were thinking of depressing things. Is that true, Harry Potter?"

"Yes," he said, "I was thinking about Dumbledore, then Sirius, and my parents… thinking how all of them died to save me… because of me."

Ginny was horrified. She had no idea Harry carried so much guilt. "Harry! You can't blame yourself. They all made those decisions on their own. You didn't try to convince anyone of anything. And the only reason you were in the Department of Mysteries was to save Sirius." She realized it had been the wrong thing to say.

Harry's temper flared for the first time in a long time as he yelled, "Yeah, Ginny! The only reason Sirius died was because of _my_ stupidity! Is that supposed to make me feel better, Ginny? I'm not going to feel better! I'm not going to—"

But he was cut off my Ginny's lips on his.

They must have kissed more than a minute before he pushed her away and said, "Ginny!" He tried to sound stern but a smile was creeping into his face against his will.

"I know you liked it Harry. Don't try to deny it," Ginny teased.

"I never will try to deny it, Ginny. But just because I love you and like to kiss you doesn't mean that we can be together. It is _much_ more complicated than that, Ginny," Harry replied.

Ginny became angry again and yelled, "It's only complicated because you _choose_ to complicate it, Harry!"

Harry's temper rose once more as he said, "do you think I _want_ to push you away? No! Of course not, Ginny! I'm in love with you! I always will be! But just because you love someone doesn't mean you can be with them!"

"Yes it does!" Ginny insisted.

"I can only do what I think is right, Ginny. Right now I think the only right thing I can do—the only way I can prove that I really love you—is to give you up."

"Harry—"

"No, Ginny! Stop trying to talk me out of it! This conversation is over!" Harry yelled louder. He started to storm away but Ginny grabbed his shirt and pulled him back toward her. He looked at her with rage as he said, "let go, Ginny."

"No! I won't let go! You are much too stubborn, Harry Potter! You can leave now but I will keep trying to talk you out of it—and I _will_ succeed. I just thought I should let you know," she said as she let go of his shirt.

Harry didn't reply. He just stormed off, leaving Ginny standing there, smiling to herself, thinking _well, at least he isn't sad anymore. Anthing is better than that—plus, he's so cute when he's angry._ She laughed as he flung the door to the house open in his rage.


	3. Powerless

A/N: Oh, I know it's short, but I had writer's block and anyway it was a good place to end it. Oh, and I'm going to change the category from Angst to Drama, 'cause I don't think its really angst, especially after this chapter. So, anyway, enjoy!

Harry was eating breakfast the next morning. He was still angry at Ginny… but his sadness was fading, and he was more in love with her than ever. Her passion… her fire… her confidence… her kiss… her heart. It could all be his if he wasn't such a noble git. She caught him staring at her and said, "What is it, Harry? Can't stand the sight of me anymore? Do I repulse you?" she asked, obviously angry once again.

"Hardly," he said, smiling devilishly. _What am I doing_… he thought. _I don't want her to love me… right?_ He wasn't so sure when he glanced at her again.

"You sound better," Ron commented.

"I feel better," Harry replied.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. She was not convinced. _She looked so sexy…_ _I have to stop thinking this way!_ He scolded himself. _What is wrong with me?_ Harry tried to clear the thoughts of Ginny away… yet to no avail. He had to face it. He was powerless against her. _But it's like I told her yesterday… just because we are in love doesn't mean we can be together. It's much more complicated._

But then he remembered her response, and felt less committed to the cause of staying away from her.

_"It's only complicated because you choose to complicate it, Harry!"_

Was that true? Was he really just complicating things? But she could die… but, won't Voldemort take her because she's his friend, his best friend's sister, a muggle-loving Weasley? Does it really matter if they're together? She's already a prime target. A little more danger couldn't do much more harm, right? Right. He was going to do it… he was going to ask her out. Or was he? He sighed heavily.

"What is it now, Harry? Sinking into depression once again?" asked Ginny, pissed off.

"Ginerva Weasley! Don't be so cruel to Harry!" shouted Mrs. Weasley.

"Sorry, mum," she grumbled.

"Ginny," said Harry. He had to do it—for his own sanity, and it would make her happy, too. It was the right thing. "Could I talk to you a moment?"

"Sure, Harry," replied Ginny, "if you must.

"I must," he insisted.

Ginny wondered what it was _he_ would want to talk to _her_ about. He had said it himself—they were over.

Once out in the hall, Harry took a deep breath. "I can't take it anymore," said Harry.

Surely he couldn't be saying what she thought he was saying? "Can't take _what_ exactly?"

"You—me—us," he replied.

"What about it?"

"I can't take the fact that there—that there is none."

"But there is one. There always will be one," answered Ginny, her heart racing.

"Ginny," he said, his heart racing also, "will you be my girlfriend?"

"Yes," she whispered, "I love you so."

"I love you, too," he answered as they embraced in a passionate kiss.

They were interrupted by Mrs. Weasley's scream and Mr. Weasley shouting, "The Dark Mark! The Dark Mark! It's over the house!"


End file.
